PITTSTON, Pa. — Governor Josh Shapiro joined lawmakers at the Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA in Pittston to talk about changes to the child and dependent care tax credit.
"It means thousands of dollars are going back into the pockets of 210,000 Pennsylvania families that have to pay for child care, including 5,000 families here in Luzerne County," said Governor Josh Shapiro.
Nicole Vu of Swoyersville has a four-year-old daughter and a one-year-old son who attends daycare at the YMCA. She says this tax credit will go a long way for families like her own.
"Just because of the price of child care for two children, it was almost not even worth it for me to go to work. My husband and I discussed possibly staying home and watching the kids myself," said Vu.
Under the tax credit expansion, the maximum credit for families with one child is $1,050, that's up from $315.
Families with two or more children can receive up to $2,100. That's nearly $1500 more than the previous tax credit.
"Starting now, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is going to match 100% of the federal childcare tax credit that Pennsylvanians get on their tax returns. Previously, PA only matched 30%," explained Governor Shapiro.
Lawmakers say this credit will help keep parents in the workforce while also helping kids get a quality education early on.
"Studies show that children who attend child care develop an increased level of social, emotional, and cognitive skills far beyond their peers who are not enrolled," said State Senator Marty Flynn.
While in Pittston, Governor Shapiro also highlighted the property tax and rent rebate for seniors across the state.